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Michelle McCool
) | birth_place = Palatka, Florida | death_date = | death_place = | resides = Austin, Texas | billed = Palatka, Florida | trainer = Deep South Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling | debut = November 18, 2004 | released = May 1, 2011 }} Michelle Leigh Calaway (née McCool) is an American retired professional wrestler. Biography There are many words that could be used to describe Michelle McCool — aggressive, cruel, malicious. But more than any of these things, the tough-as-nails Superstar was a fighter. First introduced to the WWE Universe as a contestant in the 2004 Diva Search, McCool didn’t win the competition, but she was so dynamic that she was brought to SmackDown later that year. Her early days were unremarkable, but McCool refused to be held back because she had struggled for too long to get where she was. Before she ever stepped in the ring, Michelle was a teacher in Florida. She spent her days educating schoolchildren about science, but she always knew what she really wanted to do with her life. From the day she attended a WWE event with her father and grandfather when she was six years old, McCool vowed she would be a sports-entertainer. The little girl set eyes on the "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and she was hooked. Living by the motto "Faith to fight the good fight, heart to believe and soul to search within," McCool battled her way from Diva Search reject to the top of the division. At first wasted as the manager of a forgettable tag team known as The Teacher's Pets, McCool began to carve her own path when she set out as a singles competitor. Early matches weren't always pretty, but her perseverance paid off in July of 2008 when she defeated Natalya to become the first-ever Divas Champion. The victory was a huge one for the Florida native and it inspired a change in her. No longer was she concerned with pleasing the fans. Instead, her main goal was to stay on top of the Divas division at any cost. It was a shocking change of personality, but a shift that brought McCool more accolades. In June 2009, she defeated Melina at The Bash to capture the Women's Title, becoming the first competitor to win both the Divas and Women's Championship. On that night, her legacy as a historic Diva was cemented. From there, McCool formed an alliance with the equally nasty Layla. Collectively known as Team Lay-Cool, the mean girls became the wickedest duo in WWE. Like two nasty high school students, they resorted to namecalling to belittle the other women in the locker room and found every way to cheat to hold on to the Divas Championship they shared. They were evil, but effective. That was until WrestleMania XXVII when Team Lay-Cool was put in their place by "Jersey Shore" star Snooki. The loss stung and led to the eventual breakup of McCool and Layla. But insteading of ending their successful partnership on good terms, the former friends battled in a "Loser Leaves WWE" Match at Extreme Rules. Michelle lost that match, bringing a premature end to a stellar career she'd worked so hard to attain. It was a rough way to go. After being pinned by Layla, she was brutalized in the ring by the monster known as Kharma. That night, McCool left the WWE battered and bruised, but she didn't mind. She was used to fighting. - WWE.com Other media During the week of November 5, 2007, she appeared on six episodes of Family Feud with several other WWE wrestlers and Divas. She also appeared on the February 6, 2008, episode of Project Runway with Maria Kanellis, Candice Michelle, Torrie Wilson, Kristal Marshall, and Layla El. On June 3, 2008, she appeared on The Best Damn Sports Show Period with John Cena. In addition, McCool appeared in the January 2009 edition of Muscle & Fitness, along with Eve Torres and Maryse. She also appeared on a special WWE edition of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader. Personal life McCool was married to Jeremy Louis Alexander, whom she began dating in high school. The couple divorced in 2006. She married fellow wrestler Mark Calaway, known professionally as The Undertaker, on June 26, 2010, in Houston, Texas. Their first child together, a daughter, was born in August 2012. McCool is a Christian, and she incorporated Christian crosses on her wrestling attire. She has had several wrestling-related injuries; in November 2007, she fractured her nose during an overseas WWE tour after Victoria's clothesline hit her in the face. She has been hospitalized twice, had two broken ribs, a broken sternum, and a broken xiphoid process. When she chose to leave the WWE, she mentioned that her foot had been injured for two months with a broken toe, torn joint capsules and a torn MCL. In 2016, McCool was diagnosed with skin cancer, and underwent treatment. Championships and accomplishments * World Wrestling Entertainment ** WWE Divas Championship (2 times) ** WWE Women's Championship (2 times) ** Slammy Awards (2 times) *** Diva of the Year (2010) *** Knucklehead Moment of the Year (2010) Losing to Mae Young at Old School Raw – with Layla Category:WWE Alumni Category:2004 Debuts Category:2011 Departures Category:Wrestlers Category:American Divas Category:Ruthless Aggression Era Category:Universe Era Category:SmackDown Divas Category:Managers/Valets Category:WWE Women's Champions Category:WWE Divas Champions Category:Diva Search Contestants Category:NXT Pros Category:Slammy Award Winners